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My mother, Sharon Rose Rittinghouse Larmeu, who died in 2004, lived most of her life in Ohio and worked in the ’60s and ’70s as a bookkeeper, yet still managed to make a homemade dinner every night for Dad and four children. Everything from scratch, including her noodles. This recipe would not win any medals for healthy dining, but it sure tastes great. We miss you, Mom.

1

pound each ground beef, veal, and pork (3 pounds total)

1/2

cup bread crumbs

2

cups ketchup

1

large onion, diced

2

eggs

7

slices bacon

1. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Have on hand an ovenproof baking dish (2 1/2 quart capacity)

2. In a large bowl with your hands, combine beef, veal, and pork. Add the bread crumbs, 1 1/2 cups of the ketchup, onion, and eggs. Work until well combined.

3. Transfer the mixture to the dish and pat the meat into a mound. Cover the top completely with the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup. Lay the bacon slices on the meat so they just touch (fold ends onto themselves so they don’t overlap the rim of the dish).

4. Bake the meatloaf for 1 hour and 15 minutes. During cooking, remove the dish from the oven and spoon off (or very carefully tip out) the excess fat at least twice.

5. Remove the cooked meatloaf from oven. Let it rest in a warm place for at least 1 hour, draining excess fat as needed.